Colorado Rockies / MLB

Troy Tulowitzki dealing with quad injury; Rockies proceed cautiously

Troy Tulowitzki: "My leg is a little tight, and the weather had a little bit to do with it, too." (Denver Post file)

Troy Tulowitzki will be running with a bit of caution Tuesday night when the Rockies host the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field.

The Rockies all-star shortstop said Tuesday afternoon that he's dealing with a "slight pull" of his right quadriceps muscle. That was the reason he left Monday night's game against the White Sox after the seventh inning.

Though he is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game, given his past history of leg injuries, the club will be monitoring the shortstop closely.

"My leg is a little tight, and the weather had a little bit to do with it, too," Tulowitzki said. "I think it's just fatigued after playing some games and making a lot of plays."

Tulowitzki said the injury is not related to the groin injury that required surgery and limited him to just 47 games in 2012. He tore a tendon in his left quad in 2008.

"This is different, so I guess that's good in a way," he said. "Right now it's just tightness and not getting loose."

Tulo said he's not sure if there was a specific play that caused the tightness in his right quadriceps.

"The only thing I can think of is that I kind of lunged at the (first-base) bag on opening day," he said.

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Tulowitzki said the last time he had any problems with his right quadriceps was during his first years of professional baseball with Single-A Modesto in 2005.

"We talk every day to make sure we're on the same page," said Rockies manager Walt Weiss of Tulowitzki. "I'll continue to keep an eye on him and make sure he's OK, especially the leg.

"I try to talk to everybody every day, but Tulo specifically because he has some history there (with his legs)."

Tulo had his best game of the young season Monday night, belting his first home run, and also hitting a single and a double. He also made two highlight-reel plays at shortstop. But near the end of the game, he was in the dugout doing stretching exercises with head trainer Keith Dugger.

Tulowitzki said he has to take extra care maintaining his legs, because of the cold weather early in the season and because he plays a demanding position.

"Maybe on opening day in Miami I was feeling a little too good and got away from myself," he said, referring to his lunge at the first-base bag. "I want to stay at a good pace, where I'm under control, but I think I get caught up in the game sometimes. I want to go back to those days when you play the game all out as a kid. Sometimes that hurts. It's still an adjustment that I have to make to sometimes tone it down."

Tulo was a triple short of the cycle Monday night, but he said there was no way he was going to chase it.

"I went up to Doogie (Dugger) after my home run and he knew my quad was kind of (acting up) and I told him, 'The chances of me getting a triple are less than zero percent."

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